Wildcat
Boxing champion and coach, Ted Grant is better known as Wildcat to many heroes on the streets and those he trains in combat. Background In 1942, Ted Grant was a heavyweight boxing champion. Undefeated in the ring, he was a rising star in the popular sport until events conspired to radically shift his life. When his manager attempted to fix a fight by loading a poisoned needle into Ted's boxing glove, he misjudged the potency and Ted's mentor, Socker Smith, tragically died from the lethal injection. Ted was blamed and arrested for the death, and it appeared that his boxing career was over. It may have been, had his managers not arranged a hit on him to prevent him from implicating them. He survived the attack, but his police escorts did not, so he went on the run as a fugitive. It was during this time that he heard of the Green Lantern, and used his example to fashion a suit inspired by a black cat. He became the mystery man Wildcat, and swore to clear his own name. He eventually brought his managers to justice, cleared his own name, and resumed his career. But he never stopped fighting crime, harshly opposed to the corruption that seeped into so many aspects of society. Due to his skills, integrity, and ferocity, he was granted membership into the Justice Society of America, and later the All-Star Squadron. In 1945, he was cursed by a sorcerer named King Inferno for refusing to throw a boxing match, something that went against Ted's code. But instead of turning into a cat, the magician Zatara altered the curse so that Ted instead gained the mythic nine lives of the cat. He has lost a number of these lives over the years, but recently discovered that he regains them over a period of time. Wildcat is now one of the oldest heroes in the country, kept physically in his prime and aging gracefully into a new century. His career is one of the longest in the business, and he's helped many heroes get their start. He has trained a young Bruce Wayne, the sultry Selina Kyle, the current Black Canary, and even Barbara Gordon. Despite his gruffness, Wildcat remains one of the greatest assets for a young hero looking to master unarmed combat. Personality Ted has aged (slowly and unwillingly) with the times, but at his core, he is a hero from a bygone era. He smokes, he drinks, he makes crude jokes. He's a rough brawler from the old days, when political correctness was hitting someone until they agreed with you. But he's still a hero. For all his tough-guy talk and occasional crudeness, Ted has remained dedicated to the ideas of the Justice Society for almost a century now. When he sees people in trouble, his first and only instinct is to help, even if they don't entirely appreciate the form that help takes. Just don't ever imply that his age has made him helpless. Powers Nine Lives: Due to a mystical event in 1945, Ted has nine lives. Should he die, he will be resurrected. He originally believed he had only nine resurrections total, with a few of them spent, but has learned that his power has a cycle, wherein his spent lives reset to a full nine. He must be killed nine times in a short period of time in order to stay dead. Slowed Aging: Despite his advanced age, Ted is still in his physical prime. The same phenomenon that allows him to return from the dead has slowed his aging to a crawl, allowing him to keep himself at peak physical fitness. Enhanced Eyesight: Ted's eyes are sharp enough to see extremely far and he can see perfectly in pitch black darkness. Skills Master Combatant: Ted Grant is one of the finest unarmed combatants in the world. He is a powerful boxer, undefeated to this day by unpowered opponents and virtually unmatched in skill. Besides being considered the World's Greatest Boxer to ever live, Ted is a master in Krav Maga, Muay Thai, Hapkaido, and Capoeira. He has trained the likes of Batman, Barbara Gordon, Superman, Mr. Terrific, Black Canary and numerous others. Ted is known for being able to knock out highly trained fighters in one hard hit. As well, Ted has shown the ability to read body movement and predict and know where his opponent will strike before they do allowing himself to defend against it. Expert Motorcyclist: Ted's preferred method of transportation has remain unchanged for decades, and he still holds a love for a roaring bike. As a superhero, he has had to fight dozens of battles with his bike, and thus has a supreme skill in trick riding and unorthodox driving. Ace Pilot: Not a skill he gets to use often these days, but Wildcat often served as the JSA's pilot during their heyday. He is familiar with a wide variety of aerial combat maneuvers, and can fly almost anything with wings. Sensei: Wildcat has trained dozens of people over the course of the decades, and is extremely good at imparting his skills and knowledge to the younger generations. His students often go on to become some of the finest and most infamous combatants of their time. Boons Modest Fortune: While Ted is certainly nowhere near the wealth of luminaries like Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, or Tony Stark, he is still a reasonably rich man. He is able to live an independently wealthy lifestyle, ostensibly in retirement from his spectacular professional boxing career. Cat-Cycle: A modified Indian stun motorcycle, Ted has been using it and variants ever since he first joined the Justice Society. It is distinguished by the over-sized cat's head ornamentation above the front fender. Students: Ted is extremely well-connected in the superhero business. In addition to his JSA contacts, he has a number of students who went on to become high-profile heroes (and sometimes villains). He could call on any of these students for help and expect to receive it, within reasonable limits. Flaws Too Awesome To Be Old: Ted likes to ignore the fact that he's an old man, despite his peak physical fitness. He often takes unnecessary risks to show off, or prove that he isn't losing his touch. Weakness for the Ladies: Ted is an old-fashioned chauvinist at heart. Despite dealing with strong women for decades, and training his fair share of them himself, he still tends to believe that women ought to be protected. He recognizes that this attitude is fairly antiquated, like himself, but he believes it to be charming in these days of political correctness. Wildcat is also a tomcat, with numerous romantic conquests and torrid affairs. Some of these have come back to bite him in the ass. Logs Including Wildcat *2010-08-29: Getting Her Money's Worth: Cassandra surprises Ted at his gym for her bought-and-paid-for date. Pounding ensues Category:Taken Feature Character